A Lot Can Happen in a Year
by GPP
Summary: ***Marshall gives Mary the gift that keeps on giving!***Our combined efforts for the 12 Days challenge on LiveJournal's Mary Marshall community.***Please enjoy and note that we own nothing!***Rated M for later chapters!***Reviews are love!***Now Complete!
1. Prologue

**Friday, December 25, 2009**

Mary rubbed her hands together excitedly. In general she wasn't much of a holiday person, but this year was special. Brandi and Peter were in Wisconsin visiting Peter's brother and his wife for the holidays, and Jinx and her new boyfriend who she categorically refused to tell Mary anything about were spending the holiday in Colorado.

So here it was, Christmas morning and all that occupied Mary's FBI renovated living room were herself, a giant pine tree glittering with white lights and shiny white snowflakes, a mound of presents and Marshall Mann.

Most years her partner went home to Idaho for Christmas, but this year he'd chosen to time his yearly homestead visit at Thanksgiving so he could be in Albuquerque for Christmas and New Years'. He claimed it was because Christmas was a hard time for many of their witnesses and he didn't want to be in another state if something went awry; Mary was pretty sure the real reason he stayed was her.

What she wasn't so certain about was whether she should be thrilled or terrified about this. She settled for a little bit of both with a side of childish excitement as she reached for a sparkly paper-covered gift.

Marshall watched her tear away his careful wrapping job in seconds, a silly grin on his face. Mary was so much fun this Christmas. He didn't even mind the five am wake-up call that had him arriving at her door a little before six am. The bouncing, smiling Mary who opened the door for him made any exhaustion well worth it.

He wished he'd thought to spend more holidays in Albuquerque; he might have been able to alleviate the stress his partner felt when she spent that much concentrated time with her family. Then again, this was the first time in years that another man hadn't swooped in and taken his place at Mary's side.

"A Calendar?"

Mary's incredulous voice broke through Marshall's thoughts. His grin grew. "It's a Holiday Calendar," he explained, taking the excuse to sit on the floor beside her and lean close to point out the tiny labels dotting the calendar pages. "See? It has a holiday on almost every day."

"Thomas Crapper Day?" Mary raised both eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Thomas Crapper, inventor of the ballcock-"

Mary snorted with laughter.

"—which is the mechanism that allows the tank at the back of the toilet to fill with water so you can flush your toilet. He's a very important man."

"Jesus, Marshall. Is there anything you don't know?"

"One or two, but I'm working on it."

"Idiot." Mary swatted him upside the head.

"Hey!"

Grinning unrepentantly Mary gave him a one armed hug. "Thanks for the calendar, Doofus."

They spent the rest of the morning unwrapping gifts, drinking coffee and devouring the sticky buns Marshall had brought for breakfast. It was the best Christmas either of them could remember.


	2. January

_Monday, January 4, 2010_

"Did you know that both Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler had only one testicle?"

Mary choked on her coffee and spit it back into the cup. She whirled her head to face her Cheshire cat of a partner.

"What the fuck, Marshall?" Mary began dabbing at the spilt coffee that stained her shirt, "Why the hell would I possibly need to know that? More importantly, why do you?"

"You know, apple juice is a more effective way of waking your body up than coffee is," Marshall continued to smirk as he turned back to his computer, "also, they contain enzymes to aid in pain relief."

Mary made a rude gesture in his direction.

Two blissful hours passed with no words from Marshall. Mary had made much progress on her paperwork and all that remained was to staple the last bits. Grumbling, she realized that she had no more staples.

"Hey, can I borrow your stapler?" Mary gritted her teeth and prayed that he wouldn't have a smart-ass comment to respond with. She was sorely mistaken.

"Legend has it that the first stapler was created for Louis XV in the 1700s. Supposedly, he had gold staples that were encrusted with jewels," Marshall stood up from his desk and brought his stapler over to her, "In fact; the first American stapler was patented in 1877 by Henry Heyl of Philadelphia."

"God damn it, Marshall!" Mary grabbed the stapler from him, "Can't I get anything from you that doesn't have inane trivia attached to it? I swear you'll die like Bambi's mother if you keep this nerdgasm up."

"_Bambi_ was originally published in German in 1929," he drawled, ducking just in time to miss the stapler flying at his head. He caught it one handed seconds before it clattered to the floor.

"Fucking jackass," Mary turned back to her computer and began typing furiously on her keyboard. She jumped a little in her seat as an instant message popped up.

**The first time the word "fuck" was spoken in a movie was in 1968. The movie was called "I'll Never Forget Whatshisname". In "Scarface", the word is said 206 times. That's an average of once every 29 seconds. Also, you have obviously been neglecting your calendar… today is January 4****th****, Trivia Day.**

_Monday, January 11, 2010_

In the three weeks since she'd unwrapped the calendar, Mary had already celebrated more holidays than she had the year before; maybe the ten years before combined. There'd been 55MPH speed limit day which she'd celebrated by driving exactly 55MPH everywhere, regardless of the actual speed limit. On National Learn to Ski Day she'd kidnapped Marshall and dragged him to Sandia Peak after work and teased him mercilessly when she beat him to the bottom of the slope. There were also days that were less fun, like Trivia Day.

Today it was National Clean Off Your Desk Day. Not the most fun holiday on the calendar. Yet Mary was determined to answer the unspoken dare of the calendar with unparalleled enthusiasm. _Especially after Trivia day_, she shook her head, _Jesus that was a terrible day_.

"Good morning." Marshall paused in the doorway, coffee cut paused half-way to his lips. "Wait, what is wrong with this picture?"

Mary smiled and continued silently sorting through the stacks of paperwork on her desk.

Marshall looked around the office, as if he were expecting to see Ashton Kutcher and a team of camera men hiding in Stan's office waiting to yell _PUNKED!_ "Are we… being audited?" He asked, placing his unsipped coffee on the corner of his desk, eyes never straying from his partner. "We're….moving offices?" He guessed.

Fighting to maintain a straight face at the sight of her partner's discomfort, Mary moved to the shredder and began feeding it one sheet at a time. She had just fed the last sheet of paper when Marshall finally looked at his desk for the first time.

"Wha-Wher-What?" He whirled around and faced her again, eyebrows dancing up along his hairline. When he managed to speak again his voice was so tightly controlled she could tell he was bordering on a breakdown. "Mary, what happened to my desk?"

"Check the Calendar." She answered with a smirk.


	3. February

_Friday, February 5, 2010_

_Marshall's House_

_7:46 am_

"Don't you trust me?" Marshall stood in his kitchen, spatula in one hand, bowl of homemade pancake batter in the other.

Mary eyed the jar on the counter with distaste. She crossed her arms in front of her chest in defiance.

"Not right now," her lips curled up in disgust, "it's all brown and gooey!"

Marshall looked slightly hurt at her admission of distrust. He began to pout.

"But Mare, today is World Nutella Day!"

Marshall gestured to the calendar on his wall that matched hers and added an extra quiver to his lower lip for effect.

He suppressed a grin as he noticed her having difficulty looking away from his puppy dog face. He put down the bowl and the spatula and reached for the jar of Nutella. Mary's eyes followed his index finger as he dipped it into the mystery goo. He offered his finger to her.

"Pwease?" he added some gusto to his pout and Mary was forced into total compliance. She made a show of pinching her nose as her lips closed around his finger.

Marshall sucked in a silent breath as he felt her tongue swirling around his finger.

The moment was over too quickly as Mary released Marshall's finger and looked up at him with hunger in her eyes.

"Well, what are you waiting for? I demand pancakes!" She spun him around and shoved him lightly towards the stove.

Marshall chuckled at her antics; his partner was a five year old in disguise.

"As you wish, mi'lady," he tipped an imaginary cowboy hat in her direction; their moment was lingering like heavy fog.

_Saturday, February 27, 2010_

At 45 degrees it was really too cold to be in the pool, but it had been a long week and they deserved to party; at least a little. Mary had spent the hour between getting home, tired from a particularly frustrating day, slicing limes and salting a row of shot glasses while waiting for the pool's heater to get the water to a manageable temperature – anything above freeze-your-nuts-off would do. Marshall arrived a little after seven with two bottles of tequila and a sack of tacos.

Thirty minutes and most of a 40 of Jose Cuervo Gold later and they were both in the water, not bothering with bathing suits. Mary laughed for several minutes at Marshall's Pac Man boxers. Marshall was too busy staring at her cleavage to notice that her daisy yellow panties didn't match the black lace bra one tiny bit.

Mary won the water fight, dousing Marshall in chilly chlorinated water until he was forced to leap out of the poor and grab them each a shot of tequila. Even two sheets to the wind he knew Mary wouldn't risk wasting the alcohol by dunking him.

By ten they were well into the second bottle and Mary could no longer feel her face, or her feet, either from the cold or alcohol she wasn't sure. The latter was problematic as they were still in the pool and the constant motion of the water made it extremely hard to balance. Marshall was drunker than she'd ever seen him. She was pretty sure she'd even heard him say something about a flugelhorn. . . whatever _that_ was it sent her into a fit of laughter that only ended when she stumbled forward, grabbing for anything to regain support and ending up with one hand most of the way down the back of Marshall's boxers.

She froze for what felt like an eternity before regaining her feet and stepping away. She could feel her face again, it was blazing hot. She couldn't meet his eyes.

If she had she might have drowned in their dark blue depths.


	4. March

_Thursday, March 4, 2010_

_National Grammar Day_

Mary glanced over at the empty desk across the room and heaved a guilty sigh. As if on cue, her phone rang. She grabbed at it eagerly while trying to sound nonchalant.

"Mary's House of Pain, you dish, we squish…"

"Oh, I think you dealt it this time," Marshall's drugged up voice wafted through the speaker.

"How many times do I have to say that I'm sorry…" she whined.

"Mary, I can't sit down, I can't lie on my back; hell, it hurts to walk!"

"Can you at least help me with the paperwork?"

"Mary, you shot me in the ass, I think you deserve to do it yourself."

"Can I at least do it at your place?" Mary pouted a little.

"Fine, but let yourself in," with that he disconnected the call.

Mary looked at her phone with worry: worry that he was upset with her, worry that he was in more pain than he let on; it was more the latter than anything.

She made it to his house in record time; including a trip to the pharmacy for pain medication and apple juice. Grabbing her bag, she exited the Mustang and made her way up to his front door. She knocked before letting herself in.

Laughter escaped her lips before she could stop it. Marshall was lying on his stomach in his penguin pajamas. She could see where the gauze was placed over the bullet graze. Mary held her stomach in an attempt to calm her hysterics.

Marshall turned his head in her direction and winced at the sudden movement. 'Why did it hurt to move his head?' he thought as he glared at his partner.

"Keep laughing and I will make you kiss it better," he couldn't help but crack a smile at Mary's laughter.

"Whoa there, Cowboy, I've been known to bite," was her casual retort as she set up camp on the floor next to his couch; her head beneath his so he could see over her shoulder. "I brought you apple juice."

Marshall raised an eyebrow in question.

"I remember a certain best friend of mine telling me that apples have enzymes in them that help alleviate pain."

"Gimme," Marshall reached for the bottle and took a long sip. Mary began to power up her laptop and work on her incident report.

She was about halfway done when she felt Marshall's eyes boring into the screen from behind her. She turned to face him and found her mouth inches from his. 'Maybe it's the drugs,' she thought as she watched him lick his lips. She followed his eyes as they traveled from her mouth to her computer screen.

"Um, you need a comma there, a semicolon there, and that last part is just one giant run-on sentence," Marshall pointed to each error she had made in her report.

Mary rolled her eyes.

"Well, I offered to let you write it," she teased, "I mean, the incident did happen to you after all."

"Ah yes, but if I had written it, you wouldn't have learned the difference between a semicolon and a comma," he looked at her with mischief in his eyes, "Don't get me started on your spelling. Teach a Mary to spell; she'll do paperwork for a lifetime."

Marshall was defenseless against the rain of blows she inflicted upon him.

_Sunday, March 14, 2010_

There was a slice of pie on his desk.

Marshall stared at it, forehead creasing with the effort to understand _why_ there was a slice of pie on his desk. Or why Mary looked like the proverbial cat who'd swallowed the canary.

"Mare?"

"Marshall."

"Why is there pie on my desk? And why is there a candle on top of it?"

Mary just grinned for a moment, eyes sparkling with ill suppressed delight at his confusion. Finally she answered, "It's Pie Day, idiot."

Now it was Marshall's turn to grin. "So it is." Marshall savored a few bites of delicious fruit pastry before turning his grin to his partner. "In Europe they celebrate Pi day on July 22 although it is really no more accurate than celebrating on March 14 since the simple fraction 22 over 7 is only an accurate calculation of Pi to the third digit."

Mary's grin faded into pained disbelief. "Jesus Marshall, this is the last time I bring you food."

"This is the only time you've brought me food." Marshall pointed out.

Mary responded by flicking a forkful of Cherry pie at his head.

Marshall ducked, but not fast enough. The congealed red filling stuck to his forehead and slowly slid down the side of his nose.

He wiped it off deliberately with the handkerchief he always kept in his pocket. "Is there ice cream?' he asked hopefully. Pie was delicious; pie with ice cream was a little chunk of heaven on a plate.

"Pie isn't good enough?" Mary griped, the half smile on her face telling Marshall she wasn't really annoyed, "you have to have it a la mode?"

"Actually," Marshall paused for effect, "a la mode does not mean 'with ice cream' it means 'in the style'."

"Eat your damn pie." 


	5. April

_Saturday, April 3, 2010_

"What the hell is that?" Mary stared in disgust and the jacket Marshall had chosen to don that day. It was an ugly brown material that had, what looked to be, suede patches on the elbows. She was pretty sure she hadn't seen that type of jacket since college. He wore pants of a matching style; sans patches.

"You don't like it?" Marshall made a show of turning so she could admire his suit. Mary merely sat there with her eyes and mouth agape at the absurdity.

"I repeat my earlier inquiry, with even more emphasis: What the fuck is that?"

"It's National Tweed Day," Marshall shrugged, "I figured I could pay homage for one day."

"Well, Mister 'Know It All', care to share the history of tweed with the class?" Mary baited him. She was surprised when Marshall merely shrugged.

"Eh, don't know, don't care."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I tried. It was so boring," Marshall rolled his eyes, "I figured just wearing it would be enough." Marshall shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "tweed is itchy."

"I don't suppose you're wearing tweed boxers as well?"

Marshall simply raised his eyebrow in response.

"Wouldn't you like to know…?"

_Friday, April 16, 2010_

Mary was late. Not unusual, especially with Stan out of town for a meeting in Washington DC and no witness visits planned for the day. What was unusual was the long winter jacket she was wearing when she breezed through the door at twenty after nine.

Marshall was opening his mouth to ask if his partner was feeling alright when she flashed him a coquettish smile over one shoulder and removed the jacket in one smooth motion. His mouth dropped open and for several seconds it was all he could do to keep from drooling.

By the time she hung up the jacket and poured herself a cup of coffee he had managed to tear his eyes away from the short, navy silk garment that clung in all the right places and barely covered enough skin to be decent. He stared at his computer screen and willed his mind to focus on work. But it was pointless; his focus – at least for anything work related – was completely shot.

Much to his chagrin Mary did not sit face to the computer as she usually did. Instead she pulled a stack of paper out of the top drawer of the filing cabinet, allowing Marshall's errant eyes to catch a hint of lace-trimmed boy shorts, and the settled at her desk so her face was to him. She began working her way through the paperwork, occasionally pausing to consider an answer. Each time she paused, she absently tapped the end of her pen against her lower lip, occasionally sucking the whole end into her mouth for a few seconds before returning pen to paper.

By noon when Mary leaned back to stretch and crossed one leg over the other causing her skirt to slip nearly to the top of her thigh, Marshall had completely given up on working that day.

At 12:30, Mary rose to her feet, walked over to the filing cabinet right beside his desk and promptly started searching its lowest drawer for something. He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything but the fact he could see the line of her panties through the thin nightgown.

Just when he thought he might go out of his mind if he didn't throw himself in a pool of ice that very second, there was a tell tale whirring from the elevator. Mary stood quickly, a look of panic on her face.

By the time the elevator doors opened on their floor less than a minute later, Marshall was alone in the office – minus a go-bag.


	6. May

**We sincerely apologize for any confusion surrounding out holidays! Here's what we have thus far:**

**January: Trivia and Clean Off Your Desk Days**

**February: Nutella and Open that Bottle Days**

**March: Grammar and Pi(e) Days**

**April: Tweed and Wear Your Pajamas to Work Days**

**Thanks for reading! On with the story!**

_Wednesday, May 12, 2010_

"In honor of Limerick Day, we will forgo our tradition of rock, paper, scissors," Marshall announced.

Mary let go a sigh of relief.

"Instead," he continued with a wry grin, "we will have a Limerick Slam!"

"What the…?" Mary's eyes lit up in alarm.

"You have 20 minutes to come up with as many limericks as possible!" Marshall issued the challenge and noted the fire in Mary's eyes, "And… GO!"

Marshall grinned as he watched Mary's face go from shock to finally registering challenge. He leaned over his own paper to write his own limericks.

Twenty minutes later, Marshall's watch alarm went off.

"And time!" he put his pen down with a flourish and laughed as he saw Mary frantically scribbling the last lines of her poem. He cleared his throat, "Ahem!"

Mary slammed her pen down and glowered in his direction.

"Front and center, let's see what you got, Shannon!" Marshall directed her towards the center of the room.

Mary stood where he pointed and glared as he turned on old western show-down music. She looked down at her paper:

**There once was a girl named Mary.**

**Who, in fact, was really scary?**

**She would growl and yell;**

**Her voice loud like a bell**

**And idiots she'd make wary.**

Marshall clapped politely and tipped an imaginary cap towards her. She stood facing him with her arms folded and waited for him to begin his limerick. He cleared his throat before beginning.

**Mary, Mary, quite contrary;**

**Girl's not dainty like a fairy!**

**She's got my back in**

**All the situations**

**And sometimes she looks quite leery.**

Mary tilted her head and looked to her paper for her next one. She wasn't so confident that she would win this. Never in her life had she been good with poetry. Taking a deep breath, she began to read her next one.

**Inspector Marshal Marshall Mann;**

**Ten times as attractive as Stan.**

**If only he'd hold me**

**Against his hot body**

**My partner, One Badass Lawman**

She grinned facetiously at the stunned look on his face.

"That's right, Cowboy, I went there," she donned a smug smile as he fumbled with his paper.

Marshall stuttered a little before regaining his bearings and finding an appropriate limerick to counteract that one.

**Though she may act somewhat gruffly,**

**The way she looks is quite lovely!**

**The sunlight in her hair**

**Is more than I can bear!**

**And, oh, how she knows she loves me!**

He stood tall and proud as a look of defeat registered on her face.

"Well then, it looks like I am the winner! I guess I get to sing the song!" Marshall took a deep breath and began to sing, "I win and you lose…"

"I have one more," Mary interrupted, "Hold your horses, Mann!" Mary was crowing in glee, "unless you have one more poem, I think I will win this!"

**Limericks are so hard to write**

**But it's more fun to be contrite!**

**On forms I would write these**

**Poems with such great ease**

**Allison Pearson can suck it!**

The look on Marshall's face told her that she had won. She prowled up to him and ran a finger up his chest as she began to sing softly so that only he would hear her.

"I win and you lose,

This is the prize

That I choose!

You suck

And I rule

Great job,

You fool!"

_Thursday, May 27, 2010_

... .- .-. .-. -.- / - - .-. ... . / -.-. - -.. . / -.. .- -.—1

Mary tilted her head to one side as if that would help her turn the dots and dashes back into English.

Across the room Marshall smiled and tapped another message into their instant messaging system.

-.- - ..- / .- .-. . / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / - - -.. .- -.-2

He heard Mary huff her frustration and his smile only grew. She'd nearly driven him insane on National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, today – more than a month later –

was payback. The cliché 'revenge is best served cold' became cliché for a reason. It was true.

"Marshall," Mary growled.

Practically bouncing in his seat with excitement Marshall sent his final message:

-.- - ..- / -.- -. - .- / .. / .-.. - ...- . / -.- - ..- -..- / .- -. -.. / - ... .- - / -.- - ..- / .-.. - ...- . / - . / - - - .-.-.-.3

_I don't speak geek._ Mary typed back.

"No one speaks Morse code." Marshall pointed out, earning a vicious glare. "Did you know that Morse actually had planned to only transmit numerals, and then to use a dictionary to look up each word according to the number which had been sent? It was actually Alfred Vail who came up with the modern Morse Code."

"Jesus, Marshall. If you ever want to get laid again, shut your trap."

1 Happy Morse Code Day! Love, Marshall.

2 You are beautiful today

3 You know I love you, and that you love me too.


	7. June

_Tuesday, June 1, 2010_

Marshall hated the rare days that required he or Mary to participate in a transfer with another WITSEC officer. It was terrible no matter which end he was on.

Without Mary, his job in Albuquerque was all whiney witnesses and paperwork with the occasional bout of heart stopping terror. Mary broke up the monotony that was WITSEC with her off-color remarks and dry humor.

Being the Marshal on transport with an inspector from another office was no easier.

Working with an unknown partner was tense and often awkward. He'd never found a partner who he fit with as well as he and Mary did from their very first case, at least once he'd realized she probably wasn't going to get them all killed. Add to the personal discomforts a constant fear for Mary's safety and he was a bit of a wreck any time they were forced to deal with separate cases.

This week Mary was helping the Los Angeles office transfer a witness to Chicago. She'd left this morning at five am and wouldn't be back until Saturday. Marshall was already lonely.

He found the first note at 8. It was stuck to the inside of his coffee cup. Bemused, he unfolded the yellow post it and read the brief note Mary had scrawled across it.

_You make delicious coffee._

He smiled and slid the post it into his pocket before pouring a cup of hot coffee. The office coffee was admittedly terrible, so it wasn't much of a shock that Mary much preferred organic coffee he often brought in for her from home. Still, it was nice to be appreciated.

The next note appeared a little after nine. It popped up in his email just as he was getting ready to head out of the office to check on a few of his witnesses.

_Even when I don't show it, I am amazed by you._

_PS. If you tell _anyone_ about this I will tell the world about the Star Wars sheets I found in your closet last week. _

Marshall didn't stop smiling all day.

_Thursday, June 10, 2010_

"You're holding it wrong! You have to be gentle," Marshall attempted to guide Mary's fingers to show her the correct way to hold it. "You need to relax," he coaxed her shoulders down as he stood in front of her.

"How hard can this be? You just have to whip it out and do stuff with it!"

"Here, let me show you," Marshall demonstrated the up and down motion and looked down at her to see if she was grasping the concept.

"How do you get it to hit the floor like that then spring back up?"

"The same way I get it to shoot out in front of me," Marshall explained as he demonstrated the motion, "it's all in the wrist."

"Oh, ok, let me try," Mary grabbed it from his experienced hand and slid her fingers around it and grasped it firmly. Once she got comfortable with the up and down motion, she tried mimic Marshall's actions from moments prior. She flicked her wrist a little too sharply and Marshall winced as it hit the ground with a smack.

Marshall grabbed it from her hand and ran his thumb and forefinger along its length to soothe and relax it.

"Mare, you have to be gentle! It's not just your play thing, it's mine too!" Marshall reprimanded.

"If you're so worried about it, then why are you letting me play with it?"

"For years, I've been watching you do it wrong, but I've held my tongue. Considering recent events, however, I have decided that enough is enough! That's what friends do!" Marshall ran an exasperated hand through his hair and he gave her a lopsided grin, "I don't want it to say 'death by yo-yo' on my tombstone…"

* * *

Quiz Time! Please review with your answers! The correct answer will be posted with the July chapter!

**Was June 1st:**

a) Say Something Nice Day

b) Blackmail Your Partner Day

c) Witness Transport Day

d) Miss Your Partner Who You Secretly Love Day

**Was June 10th:**

a) Sexual Innuendo Day

b) Yo-yo Day

c) Learn Something New Day

d) Teach Someone Something New Day


	8. July

**Aloha! Ok first order of business: June 1****st**** was indeed Say Something Nice Day and June 10****th**** was Yo-yo Day!**

**And now, onto July!**** No quiz this time; we mention the names! Enjoy!**

_Tuesday, July 13, 2010_

Marshall looked up from his computer to see Mary looking at her calendar with a thoughtful expression. Narrowing his eyes, he shook his head and resumed working.

An hour later, it was time for lunch. He held the door open for her and they made it into the elevator before she turned to him and embraced him.

Shocked, he hugged her back, breathed in the scent of her hair, and reveled in the feel of her body pressed against his. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"What was that for?" he asked once he recovered from her semi-public display of affection.

"Today is 'Embrace your Geekiness Day, right? Well, I'm not the geeky one. You are. So I embraced you," she said shyly.

It was rare for Marshall to see Mary act in such a manner. Although he didn't want it to end, he straightened himself up and smiled down at her.

"Thanks, I needed that," he said before returning a kiss to her forehead, mirroring her actions.

**Saturday, July 24, 2010**

"I thought, since it's 'Cowboy' Day, I would head out to visit the Adam's today, maybe help out around the farm. You coming?" Marshall asked, rising from his desk.

Mary looked up from her keyboard for a second, "When was the last time we were out there?"

"Six months or so."

She nodded. "Sure." The Adams's had won their one-way ticket to Albuquerque by helping the FBI put away a human trafficking ring in Houston where they had both worked in banking. When they moved to Albuquerque they bought one hundred acres of land an hour outside the city and took up cattle farming. That was six years ago, when Mary was new to Albuquerque and to WITSEC and not quite as jaded as she was now.

Joe Adams was a large man, six foot six, well over 200 pounds. His wife, Margaret was five foot five and no more than a size six, she looked miniscule next to her bear of a husband. Both Mary and Marshall loved the couple and made a point to visit the farm once or twice a year, just to keep in touch.

The July day was already uncomfortably hot when Mary followed Marshall into the parking lot. She took her Mustang home, changed into her lightest summer dress and a pair of sandals, grabbed a case of beer from the fridge and then climbed into the passenger seat of Marshall's SUV for the drive to farm country.

"Aren't we fancy." Marshall said, eyeballing the dress appreciatively.

"Stuff it Pervis." Mary shot back, "It's a fucking oven out here and you know Margaret Adams doesn't believe in air conditioning."

Three hours later Mary and Margaret had caught up on all the Adams's news and prepared a simple lunch of water melon and ham sandwiches for the men. They'd just laid out four plates on the table when Joe came in, dripping with sweat.

"Marshall's just finishing up in the barn." He told them.

Mary hopped up, no way was she waiting for her perfectionist partner to finish whatever job he was doing, she was starving. "I'll go get him."

Mary entered the barn quietly, taking in the warm sunlit air and the sweet smell of freshly mowed hay. Twenty feet away from her Marshall hadn't yet realized he had company. He stood in the aisle, undershirt tucked into the back of his dark jeans, naked back glistening with sweat, hoisting a bale of hay as though it weighed nothing at all. Mary's stomach tightened and her mouth went dry.

She waited until she was only a few feet away before clearing her throat to announce her presence.

"Lunch time?" Marshall asked, wiping a trickle of sweat off his brow with one gloved hand.

Mary nodded, looking a little dazed.

"I'll be in in a minute." He said, grabbing another bale of hay and tossing it to the top of the stack.

When Mary didn't move he walked over to her, stopping less than a foot away he bent down so he could see her eyes. "You ok?"

Finding her voice at last Mary smiled at him, "It's 'Cowboy' Day today."

He smiled back, still looking a little puzzled. "I know."

"I haven't had my cowboy yet." She met his eyes and held them, waiting for the full meaning of her words to sink in.

Marshall's face slackened slightly and his eyes darkened with lust.

In two steps she had him pressed back against the wall her hands on his bare chest, her lips suckling at the tender skin at the base of his throat. He responded by pressing her close with one hand while cupping her breast with the other. He let her kiss him, throwing his head back to give her better access to his throat until her hand went for his growing erection.

"My turn," he growled, hoisting her up and spinning them both around so she was pressed against the wall, feet a few inches off the ground. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

Mary wrapped her legs around his hips and ground against his erection. She could feel the roughness of his jeans through the thin silk of her panties and she thanked God for hot weather and summer dresses. It felt fantastic, but it wasn't enough. She wanted him, all of him, buried inside her. She wanted to hear him cry her name as she fucked him into oblivion.

She fumbled for his belt again, and he placed a hand on hers, stilling her movement and pulled back a few inches.

"No, Mare. Not like this."

Mary stilled. "I- I thought this was - You _wanted_ this." she accused, frustration coloring her every word.

"I did - do want this Mare, but not today. The first time we make love it isn't going to be because it's 'Cowboy' Day or 'Fuck Your Best Friend Against a Wall' Day, and it sure as hell isn't going to be against a splintered barn wall."

Mary nodded, guilt flooding her mind when she realized that Marshall thought that was all this was, another part of the get-the-best-of-Marshall-by-besting-his-holiday-know-how spree she'd been on since Christmas. She loosened her legs from around his waist and slid reluctantly to the ground, her hands resting lightly against his toned stomach. "It's more than that you know." She half-whispered.

Marshall gave her a half smile. "Anticipation," he said cryptically before stepping back several feet, severing contact.

Mary leaned back against the wall on legs that refused to stop shaking. Her body thrummed with unstated lust.

_Anticipation_. She could work with that.


	9. August

_Sunday, August 8, 2010_

Mary pulled her Mustang to the curb and stilled the engine two blocks east of Marshall's house. Stepping out into the street she tucked her long blonde hair up under the dark blue baseball cap she'd found at the back of her closet, checked the batteries on her flashlight and grabbed the pair of foot-long green zucchinis off her passenger seat.

Laughing silently to herself she locked the car and began to jog, as quietly as possible toward her partner's house. This would only work if she could manage to be stealthier than he had been thirty minutes earlier when he dropped off the smaller of the two zucchini's she now clutched to her chest.

She wished she were a little more technically savvy so she could record his reaction in the morning when he saw not one, but two zucchinis on his front porch. She wondered if he would realize one of them was the one he'd tried to leave for her.

When she was three houses away, Mary slipped into the front yards, out of line of the street lights and slowed to a walk. It was a little after two am and she doubted her partner was still awake, but she wasn't taking any chances.

She managed to make it all the way to Marshall's back porch without seeing a soul. As quickly as she could without making noise, Mary placed the two zucchinis on Marshall's porch. She backed quietly into the shadows and then, with one final glance at his windows to make sure he hadn't seen, jogged all the way back to her car.

When she opened her back door the next morning there were two zucchinis propped up against the door. The hand written note balanced on top read "I think you forgot these on my back porch. MM."

_Sunday, August 15, 2010_

"A mix tape?" Mary was flabbergasted, "You made a mix tape? Who does that anymore?"

Marshall looked down at the cassette in his hand.

"I do," he said in a small voice, "it's 'Best Friends Day' and I thought that this would show you what you mean to me." Marshall began to put it back into his pocket, "if you don't want it, I understand."

Mary reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"I never said I didn't want it, Marshall," her voice was softer this time, "I just don't have anything to play it on."

Marshall grinned and turned his hand so that he could hold hers with the tape in between them. Smiles were exchanged between the partners.

"Well, come with me, I happen to have a cassette player at my place."

"You would," Mary scoffed. She didn't let go of his hand as they left the office.

"Marshall?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is 'The Thong Song' on side B?"

_Watch this video for M/M cuteness!_

_http: / www. youtube. com/watch?v=GN5ZNSUYqsg _

_(Take out the spaces when pasting this link)_

_**Quiz Time!**_

**Was August 8****th****:**

a) Sneak Over to your Best Friend's House Day

b) Sneak Some Zucchini onto your Neighbor's Porch Night

c) Do Something Completely Unexpected Day

d) Random Day

Leave your answer in the comment!


	10. September

_Sunday, September 12, 2010_

"I can't believe you own a video game system that has a name synonymous with peeing," Mary slurred. Marshall had brought his Nintendo Wii to her house for a game night. The partners had been drinking for the past 2 hours and they were working on their second bottle of tequila. "Who thought the Nintendo Wii was a good thing to call a gaming system?"

"Actually, the original name for the Wii was the Nintendo Revolution," Marshall was just as gone as Mary but you wouldn't have been able to tell due to his superior control over himself, "I challenge you to Rainbow Road on 150cc."

"First, I don't know what kind of bet the creators of the Wii lost because the 'Revolution' is a much cooler name," Mary paused to take another shot of tequila, "Secondly, I don't know what the fuck Rainbow Road is! I feel like it's a GLBT Pride Parade route or something."

"You, my dear, are the perfect level of drunk to make this interesting," Marshall powered up the console and handed her the wheel, "use that button to accelerate and just turn the wheel when necessary. You can flick it to do tricks."

Mary watched impatiently as he explained the controls.

"Ok, ok, I get it; let's get this show on the road!"

"One last thing," Marshall began as the screen came up.

Mary looked at him in exasperation.

"Use the button on the back of the wheel to use items," he finished, "trust me, you'll want to use them." He gave a drunken smile as the character selection came up.

Marshall chose Luigi on the Mach Bike in Manual mode, and Mary chose Peach on the same bike on Automatic.

"Prepare to die, Doofus," she challenged.

"Winner gets to sing the song?"

"As if there were any other prize," she smiled evilly at him as the race signaled the beginning. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Marshall's game face come out as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees as he held the Wii remote and nun chuck loosely in his hands.

"What the fuck?" Mary was pissed when her character got a slower start than anyone else. She began to move forward and was plunged into epileptic hell. "Can I make my character flip the others off? You all stole my item boxes!"

Marshall continued the race and Mary loathed to see he was in first place already.

"Who the fuck is littering? Why are there banana peels all over the damn road?" This earned a chuckle from her inebriated partner as he mumbled a 'sorry' in her direction before returning his focus to the game.

Mary was finally able to get an item.

"A bullet? I can shoot people? Nice!" she pressed the appropriate button and began to move her wheel frantically in time with the bullet's path. It dropped her at a sharp curve and she immediately drove off the course, "WHAT THE FUCK?" she yelled as her character burned up in the atmosphere below.

The cloud character dropped Mary's vehicle back on the course. She began to accelerate. From out of no where, Luigi came up behind her and pushed her back off the course.

"Marshall! You JACKASS! What the fuck was that for?"

"I give you full permission to do that to me if you ever lap me," he grinned. This was too amusing.

Finally, Mary got back on the course and was able to snag an item. She noted Marshall's look of horror as he noticed which item it was: the blue shell. Mary realized that this was a particularly useful item in taking out her partner and immediately let it go.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Marshall tried in vain to make it over the figure eight before the shell found him. Mary cackled in glee as the shell hit him and caused him to fall down the middle of the hole.

Marshall, however, was quicker to recover from the setback and was back in first place in no time.

The game was over as quickly as it had begun and before Mary knew it, Marshall was inches from her face.

"I win and you lose,

This is the prize

That I choose!

You suck

And I rule

Great job,

You fool!"

Mary shoved a pillow in his face as he began to tickle her. This went on for a good 30 minutes before they passed out in their respective drunken stupors.

_Monday, September 13, 2010_

Mary sat up, bleary eyed and feeling hung over. She rubber her eyes and tried to sit up, but there was a dead weight on her stomach making sitting impossible. With much effort and no small amount of pain she lifted her head to see what was pinning her down.

Marshall's legs it seemed. Her tall, lean partner was sprawled on her living room floor, legs flung across Mary's belly, head part way under the coffee table.

Smirking, despite the hangover, Mary ran one finger up the sole of his left foot.

Right on cue Marshall sat up.

Or at least he tried to. His forehead hit the underside of her coffee table with resounding crack and he slumped back to the floor.

_Oh Shit._ Mary wiggled out from under the weight of his legs and crawled over to check on her partner. "Marshall?"

"Mmmrrrf." He groaned, not moving.

"Marshall?"

"Head… hurts..." Marshall half opened his eyes and glared balefully at her. "When did I end up under the table?"

Mary shrugged.

He took in her tank top and shorts and his own shirtless, boxer clad state. "We didn't…?"

"I think you'd remember that."

He closed his eyes against the bright morning light, "good."

Mary stood, slowly and in time with the spinning of the room, and slip the table back so it was no longer above Marshall's head. Moving like a ninety year old two weeks after a hip replacement, Mary made her way to the kitchen where she found two bottles of water and a bottle of aspirin. She downed two and tipped another pair into her hand for her partner.

He seemed to be sleeping so she left them on the table and headed for the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, clean and dressed Mary felt human again, human with a side of headache, but human at least. She didn't hear Marshall and figured he was still snoozing on her carpet.

_Perfect._

Moving as quietly as she could manage she spent the next twenty minutes setting up the house. Poor Marshall wouldn't know what hit him when he woke up.

…

Marshall woke again around ten. He took his time sitting up, downed the aspirin Mary had left on the table and three quarters of the bottle of water. This was why he didn't drink often.

Bits of the night before trickled through his consciousness and he smiled. Mary's face when she lost and the tickling contest that followed were almost worth the cotton mouth and raging headache. He filed away Mary's ticklish places for future reference. One day, soon he hoped, it would be very useful information.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Mary called for the kitchen, "there's coffee in here."

_Coffee_. The magic word propelled his leaden limbs onwards. "What the hell?" He muttered as he had to dodge a ladder and nearly stepped on a stuffed black cat on the way.

Mary was perched on top of the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in hand. He poured himself a cup from the pot and savoured the first few sips before downing the entire mug and refilling it. "You know in England they consider it bad luck to sit on the table; means you'll never get married."

Mary patted the table beside her, "It's worse luck if two people sit on the table together."

He raised one eyebrow, but sat where she indicated, "tempting fate again? One day that is going to catch up with you."

"Not today." She replied, purposefully reaching over to knock over the salt.

"What is today?" Marshall asked; his brain still sluggish from the night before.

Mary rolled her eyes and slid off the table. "If you haven't figured it out yet…" she let the implications of idiocy linger in the air.

Shaking his head Marshall watched her walk out of the room and disappear down the hall toward her bedroom. Once he was sure she was going to be gone for more than a second he slid off the table and moved as quickly to the calendar hanging on the wall. "Video game day… Defy Superstition Day." He smiled.

"Hey Mare?" He called out nonchalantly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going home to shower and then I'm picking you up at eight."

Mary was silent for nearly a minute. He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out what he knew, what he was planning. When she finally agreed he practically bounced out the door, hangover forgotten in the joy of plotting.

…

Mary was sitting on her front porch when he arrived at five past eight. She wore comfy jeans, a jacket, and a deeply suspicious facial expression.

They drove in silence for several minutes before Mary finally broke down and asked, "Is this the part where you chop me up with a hatchet and feed me to the coyotes, because I feel I should remind you that the bad guy always gets caught in those movies."

Marshall chuckled. "They do have a yard full of bodies, but I don't plan on adding you to the collection," he cast a sidelong glance at his partner who was still looking deeply suspicious, "not tonight anyway."

"You're taking me to a _cemetery_?" Mary asked, "In the middle of the night…"

Marshall pulled the SUV onto the gravel drive to the cemetery. "If you are going to defy superstition, this is the place to be." He climbed out, walked around the vehicle and opened her door.

"But…it's creepy." She replied in a small voice, making no move to get out.

"I'll protect you from the zombies. I promise." He took her hand in his and pulled her gently from the seat.

Mary didn't let go of his hand until they were back in the SUV and halfway to her house.


	11. October

_Saturday, October 9, 2010_

_Omaha, Nebraska_

_21:47_

It had been a long day. Mary and Marshall had finally handed off their witness to the Omaha Marshals just before ten. It was definitely too late to begin the drive back to Albuquerque. Currently, they were driving on a stretch of road that seemed to lead nowhere. There was nothing in sight; just a vast expanse of land.

"We need to find a place to crash tonight," Mary yawned from the passenger seat.

Marshall pushed a couple buttons on the GPS to help him locate a motel in silent agreement.

An hour later, they collapsed in a heap of bones and standard marshal issue clothing; not caring that there was only one bed.

Mary stirred but did not wake as Marshall's wrist watch alarm went off. She did, however, wake when Marshall began shaking her shoulder vigorously.

"Mare, wake up!"

She simply grumbled and buried her head farther under the pillow.

"Come on, Mare," Marshall pleaded excitedly, "you need to wake up right now!"

"Whaaaaat?" she opened her bloodshot eyes to meet Marshall's animated ones. Even in her groggy state, she could notice that they had changed from their normal stormy blue to a lighter hue. Mary jerked backwards as he shoved the display of his wrist watch in her face.

"It's 1:01 am!" he was practically bouncing on the bed, "you know that that means?"

"Do I care?"

"It's 1:01 am on 10-10-10! 101010101! It is the Binary Moment!"

"Yahoo… now go back to sleep."

Despite the interruption to her sleep, Mary awoke feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The voice in the back of her mind told her it was because she shared the bed with Marshall, but she managed to convince herself that she was just so tired that even the most uncomfortable box spring mattress was comfortable. She walked out of the bathroom and noticed her partner sitting on the bed with a map spread out and a coffee in hand. A second cup of coffee resided on her bedside table.

"Whatcha doin'?" she peered over his shoulder to look at the map.

"Trying to plan our route home," he pointed to the 3 different colored lines on the map, "If we take I-80W to 25 south, it's a whopping 1,513 kilometers but if we just take 25 south, it's only 1,438 kilometers. Of course there's always the easy way: going through Denver. But that just seems out of the way," Marshall cast a glance in Mary's direction. She just looked confused.

"What the fuck is all this talk about kilometers?" she snapped. The coffee obviously hadn't sunk in yet, "just say 'miles' like a normal person!"

"Actually, there are only three nations in the entire world who haven't adopted the metric system as their national unit of measurement," he stated, "it's not hard to figure out how to convert miles to kilometers."

Mary made for the pillows on the bed as Marshall jumped to the other side of the bed and whipped out his Blackberry.

"Before you pummel me, let me just remind you of what today is," he pulled up the calendar on his phone and showed it to her, "It's National Metric Day that just happened to fall on "Binary Day," he grinned, "a two for one special!"

"I'll show you two for one," Mary growled as she pounced on him with a pillow in each hand.

_Tuesday, October 26, 2010_

Mary stared at the crowded room for several minutes without seeing a single face she recognized. For the hundredth time in just over an hour she wished there was alcohol. Anything to make this night pass quickly.

Why she had let Brandi convince her to hold a Halloween party at her house she had no idea. Maybe she felt badly that she wasn't fully on board with the Brandi moving in with Peter idea, or perhaps she was just lonely. Either way, she had agreed and now a few dozen of Peter and Brandi's closest friends and workmates were gathered in the Shannon living room, wearing costumes, drinking virgin punch and playing some ridiculous board game that involved charades and spelling words backwards.

She knew the no alcohol was done for a reason other than to drive her insane, Peter was a recovering alcoholic as were a few of the other guests and it was simply expected that those who could indulge without waking up six weeks later to find they were homeless, naked and a complete waste of oxygen, were expected to suck it up for the good of a few. It even made a little sense, but it did nothing to ease the dullness.

Just as she was seriously considering grabbing her secret stash of tequila and retreating to her bedroom to get fall down drunk alone, Mary's phone rang.

It was Marshall's number on the display and Mary almost dropped her cup of punch in her hurry to answer. "Marshall?"

"That bad?"

"You have no idea." She turned away from the crowded living room and disappeared into the kitchen where she could talk without being overheard by all of her sister's friends. "A ten year old could drink this punch. And there are at least five cars boxing me in."

"Well," Marshall drew the word out slowly, his tone playful, "I was going to spend the evening alphabetizing my DVD collection, but I might be persuaded to put that off given the right incentive."

"Anything," Mary promised, not allowing her mind time to consider any possibilities, "Just get me out of here."

"I'll be there in five."

. . . 40 Minutes Later . . .

"You're kidding."

"I assure you I am in earnest," Marshall's grin stretched all the way across his face.

"I am not _howling_ at the moon." She held up a hand to forestall his reply, "And before you ask, I don't care what the calendar says."

They sat for several moments engaged in a silent battle of wills. Mary clenched her teeth and refused to bend. The man was certifiably nuts if he thought she was going to stand out in the middle of the desert and howl like a coyote. On the other hand, if she gave in maybe they could spend the rest of the night on more pleasurable activities. Anticipation was all well and proper, but she'd been patient long enough.

Still holding her partner's gaze, Mary opened her mouth and howled.

When he finished laughing, Marshall climbed out of the SUV and pulled a pair of blankets out of the backseat. When he began spreading them across the hood of the car Mary stepped out into the desert.

"Not against a barn door, but the hood of your car is perfect?" She teased. Though she couldn't see in the moonlight she was pretty sure Marshall was blushing.

"Stargazing, Mary. It's a perfect night for it." He came to stand inches away from her, close enough she could smell his shampoo, "but if you had other things in mind…" He let the thought hang in the air between them.

Mary closed the distance between their bodies with a single step. Her hands slid along his abdomen and around, coming to rest on his lower back. She rested her head against his chest and listened to the thrumming of his heart.

He followed her lead, sliding one hand just beneath the hem of her shirt and tracing small circles against her skin. She shivered a little and he tightened his hold. Over the top of her head he watched a star fall. He watched it with a peaceful smile on his face, he didn't need to make a wish, everything he wanted was right here.

Mary didn't know how long they stood there, silent, wrapped in each other, watching the sky. It felt like forever. It felt like the blink of an eye. At some point she raised her head and kissed Marshall gently on the cheek.

He turned his head and the next kiss was on the lips. Slow, gentle, exploring kisses. Nothing like their brief moment in July, but equally wonderful. Mary started unbuttoning Marshall's shirt from the bottom, one button at a time, slow and steady.

He slid one hand up the front of her shirt and pinched her left nipple through the lace of her bra. She dropped one hand to cup his growing erection through his jeans. Their kisses grew hungrier.

Mary pushed Marshall's shirt off his shoulders and they pulled apart for a moment while Mary wriggled out of her t-shirt. The desert air kissed her naked skin, bringing forth goose bumps and turning her nipples hard as stone.

Marshall lifted her up and set her ass down on the hood of his car and pressed her back so she was laying back on the blankets he'd spread there. The heat from the engine radiated through the blanket warming Mary's skin. With surprising ease Marshall removed her shoes and slid her jeans down over her hips, trailing kisses along her inner thigh as he went.

The combination of Marshall's hot mouth and a cold evening breeze branded each kiss into her skin.

"Marshall," Mary groaned, sitting up long enough to pull his face back to hers. Locking his lips in a heated kiss, she freed his belt buckle and pushed his jeans towards the ground.

There was a brief awkward scramble as Marshall kicked out of cowboy boots and jeans before joining her on the still warm hood of the SUV. He pulled the second blanket over them, locking out the cold night air; then his hands were on her breasts and his mouth on her neck and she thought she might die from the pleasure.

Marshall's erection pressed insistently against the hot wetness between her legs. In seconds she had her panties off and Marshall's penis free of his Pumpkin covered boxers. _Does he own _any _grown up underwear?_ she thought with a giggle that was cut short by his long finger flicking over her clit. When he followed up with two fingers plunged into her vagina she lost her ability to form a coherent thought.

The waves of her first orgasm came hot and heavy as Marshall pumped his fingers in and out, his mouth nipping and suckling at her left breast. As her inner walls tightened around his fingers she threw her head back and howled his name to the full moon.

**Ok so we know what October 9****th**** is but what is October 26****th****?**

a) National Stargazing Night

b) Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night

c) Fuck Your Best Friend on the Hood of Your Car Night

d) None of the Above

**Review and let us know what you think!**


	12. November

_**The answer to October 26th's holiday was b) Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night!**_

_**Read on and enjoy the insanity!**_

_Thursday, November 11, 2010_

Mary crumpled the square of black paper and threw it in the waste paper basket along with six others she'd given up on in disgust that morning. "This is impossible," she growled.

"No, just terribly exacting," Marshall said, adding the tenth ninja star to his growing collection of origami creations.

"If by exacting you mean only an anal retentive nerd can do it," Mary muttered bitterly. She stood and stretched the kinks out of her neck before walking over to Marshall's desk.

She stopped a foot away and watched him with a calculating expression while he easily transformed two rectangles of paper into a pretty star shape. "Hey! How come you are making these silly little stars while I'm over here beating myself up because I can't make a damn flapping crane?"

Marshall refrained from reminding her that learning the flapping crane had been her idea, even after he'd told her the non-flapping version was much simpler. "Mare, would you like me to show you how to make a star?"

She considered him for a moment before nodding.

Chuckling to himself Marshall grabbed a small stack of square paper and followed Mary to her desk. She sat in her desk chair and he leaned over her shoulder, bracing himself against the edge of her desk with both arms in a sort of hug. He relished her sweet smell and the way her blonde hair tickled his cheek when she leaned back against him. He gave her step by step instructions, occasionally reaching out and taking her hand in his to guide her through the motions.

When they finished the star Mary propped it on the side of her screen. "That was easy."

Marshall straightened up and took a step back towards his desk.

"Oh no you don't," Mary said, shooting him an accusatory glare over her shoulder. "You promised to teach me the god damn flapping crane. Now get your sexy butt over here and teach me."

Marshall raised an eyebrow, "You think my butt is sexy?"

Mary was silent for a full ten seconds while her mind searched for the back exit out of this conversation. Yes, she found Marshall's ass entirely edible, but he wasn't supposed to know that. "I-I – well… yes?" The last word was nearly a squeak. She was also fairly certain she could light a fire with the heat from her burning cheeks.

The enormous grin on her partner's face wasn't helping matters.

"You think I'm Go-orgeous, You think I'm Se-exy.." Marshall sang, turning his back to her and doing his very best moonwalk back to her side.

"Not when you do that, doofus." She said pelting him with the origami star they had just completed.

"You want to Da-ate me." He continued, raising the volume of his voice over hers.

"Jesus!" Was there anything that would shut him up?

"Lo-ove me…"

"Shut up, Marshall. For the love of God!"

"And Ma-arry me."

"Ok." That did it.

For several moments complete silence reigned in the office.

_Tuesday, November 23, 2010_

Mary had never been comfortable with death; part of that may be attributed to a long period of her life when she didn't know if her father was dead or alive.

So, imagine her shock as she entered Marshall's living room and found him surrounded by papers. He startled at hearing his door shut and had frozen in place.

"What's going on, Marshall?" Mary cast a wayward glance around the computer area as she came up behind him. Her eyes fell on the words on his computer screen: Last Will and Testament.

"Mare, you're early," his voice was weak and full of stutter.

"Try again, Idiot," she gestured first to his watch and then to the forest of paper that had accumulated on his desk, "what's going on? Is there something I need to know about? Are you sick?"

"Mary, I'm fine," Marshall held his hand up to stop her from slipping into hysteria, "there's nothing you need to be worrying about."

Mary didn't hear him. Memories of their trip to the cemetery just a couple months ago had come flooding back to her. Marshall caught her as she sank to the floor.

Marshall held her as she cried. He hadn't meant for her to walk in on this. He sat on the floor with her in his lap and whispered reminders of his promise not to die for her.

*Per te, per te, vivro

L'amore vincera

Con te, con te, avro

Mille giorni di felicita

Mille notte di serenita*

This only made Mary cry harder and Marshall struggled to find a way to make her tears subside.

"Aw, don't cry," Marshall knew staying silent for too long would only make it worse, "I bet on Billy Mays' tombstone it says 'Hi, Billy Mays here' and has an arrow pointing towards the ground." This earned him a chuckle from the broken woman in his arms.

"I'll make damn sure that yours says 'Here Lies Doofus' or something," she mumbled into his tear stained shirt.

"How about we get buried alongside each other with yours reading 'I'm With Stupid' and has an arrow pointing towards mine?"

Mary looked up from his chest after a couple minutes of deliberation.

"Deal."

***Translation***

_For you, for you, I live_

_The forever love_

_With you, with you I'll have_

_A thousand happy days_

_A thousand peaceful nights_


	13. December

_Sunday, December 5, 2010_

It was quiet... too quiet. Mary cast a suspicious glance into the office from the threshold of the elevator. Something was amiss. Warily, she stepped into the office and made her way to her desk while checking every corner of the room.

Something was not right. She felt disconcerted when she saw that Marshall wasn't in yet. Sitting down, she pressed number one on her speed dial and listened to his phone ring. There was no answer. Mary shook her head as she set her bag down and began to work on her daily tasks.

An hour passed with no sign of her partner. She had tried calling his phone a couple more times but to no avail. Sighing, she pushed away from her desk to stand up. Mary turned to make her way to the coffee room when her path was blocked by one Marshall Mann; black shoes, black pants, black button down shirt and a black blazer. His hair was combed back to complete the ensemble and he had a menacing glint in his eye.

Mary jumped back and stifled her scream.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled at him.

Marshall let out a small chuckle but, for the most part, remained stoic as he made his way to his desk.

Mary kept him in her peripheral vision as best she could for the next couple hours. Unfortunately, though she loathed letting him out of her sight, her bladder got the best of her. Grumbling, she left the office while praying that he'd be in that same exact spot when she returned.

He wasn't.

Mary checked under his desk, behind her plant, Stan's office, under her desk, under Eleanor's desk, the conference room but found no sign of Marshall. She sat back at her desk and continued her work. She didn't like it when it was so quiet.

Another lonely hour passed and Mary started to really miss Marshall's presence. Being joined at the hip had its disadvantages and Mary was rapidly figuring this out. She sighed and returned to her work.

A few minutes later, something whizzed past her head so close that she could feel the wind it generated as it cut through the air. She looked behind her but didn't see anyone as she got up to examine the offending object.

Mary bent down to pick it up and was rewarded with something wet smacking her in the cheek. Disgusted, she wiped the spitball off her face and tried to figure out which direction it came from. She wasn't able to look for long as a barrage of spitballs and ninja stars came flying at her.

She ducked into the conference room to see Marshall jumping from the rafters on the ceiling and crouching on the ground behind his desk.

Mary closed her eyes and counted to ten before stalking out of the conference room; fully intent upon ripping her partner a new asshole.

She gathered up all the ninja stars on her way over to his desk. In the back of her mind that she had set up her own doom by helping him make these last month on 'Origami Day'. This thought made her more hell-bent on her mission to kick Marshall's ass.

Marshall sat at his desk typing on his computer with an innocent look on his face. Mary noticed him suppress a grin as she approached him with her feral 'I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully' look in her eyes. He wasn't sure whether he should be alarmed or amused that it was the same look she got the night before; right before she'd ripped all the buttons off his favorite shirt in her rush to get it off his body.

"I ask again," Mary's voice was low and dangerous, "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Marshall wasn't going to lie; he was a little turned on.

"It's International Ninja Day," he said with a grin and looked Mary up and down appreciatively, "however, I think Ninja Day is just flexible enough to accommodate anything," he leered.

Just as Mary brought her arm back in preparation to end Marshall with a single paper ninja star, the elevator doors slid open exposing Stan; too busy checking the messages on his Blackberry to look at his inspectors. Blue eyes met green and with unspoken agreement Mary and Marshall slid beneath their respective desks.

A few hours later they found themselves in a tangled mess of limbs and sweat. It was amazing to Marshall how every time with Mary seemed like the first time.

Marshall knew how she loved it from behind. She made the most guttural noises and he was at a better angle to please her from that position. He reached beneath the covers where he had hidden a 'too real to be fake' dildo and replaced his penis with it in one fluid motion. He began to play with her clit to compensate for his inability to maintain the rhythm he had when he was actually inside of her.

Mary didn't seem to realize the difference until he was right in front of her. Her mouth flew open in surprise.

"Ninja," he whispered huskily before bringing his mouth down to hers.

_December 21, 2011: National Haiku Day_

Mary drew a heart in the damp white sand, inches from the crashing waves and then scribbled in out with her toe before anyone had a chance to see it. She was turning positively sentimental these days.

"Good morning," Marshall wrapped his strong arms around her from behind and she leaned against his chest with a contented sight.

"Morning," She replied.

It was their third day of vacation, their second morning waking up to the sound of crashing waves and the smell of the ocean. When Marshall had first proposed they spend the Christmas week in Mexico she had resisted. The last time she'd been in Mexico it had been with Mike Faber. Back when she was both too blind and too scared to realize the amazing relationship she already had with Marshall could be so much more. She'd only given in when Marshall promised the resort he had in mind would be nothing like the adults only sex-den she'd brought Faber to.

Not to say there wouldn't be sex. Just that it would be in the privacy of their beachfront villa or on the stretch of beach that was theirs alone.

Mary was almost certain she had died and woken up in heaven when Marshall showed her their accommodations. A three floor private house right on the beach and a few miles from the nearest hotel, which meant, for the most part, they could have the stretch of sand to themselves. They'd argued briefly when he refused to tell her how he'd found this place let alone managed to rent it for a single week, but Mary was quickly convinced it really didn't matter as long as Marshall kept doing _that_ with his tongue.

"Come crash into me  
Hold me, love me, consume me,  
My Mary. My love,"

Marshall whispered in her ear. His warm breath set her hair to dancing even as his words stirred her heart to a rapid staccato

"Deeper than the sea,  
Hotter than the sun, my love is  
Endless as the sky."

Mary turned within his embrace so she could look up into his eyes. It was hard to believe that a little over a year ago she would have fled at the thought of opening her heart to this man. That she would have blushed scarlet at any mention of love and laughed herself silly if he wrote her a poem. Today her heart sang to his words and the smile refused to leave her eyes even as she captured his mouth in a kiss.


End file.
